


Julklapp

by little_cheshire_fandom_cat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cuddles, Established Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I tried to be sirius, It's supposed to be Fluff, M/M, There's a puppy, but everything sounds so ironic, but it's resolved immediately, not explicitly Christmas related but I guess it can be read as a Christmas season story, slight super mild angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-25 15:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17124122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_cheshire_fandom_cat/pseuds/little_cheshire_fandom_cat
Summary: A small not at all canon compliant story of how Sirius and Remus got a puppy.





	Julklapp

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iwassoalone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwassoalone/gifts).



> I promised I'd write this and I meant to finish it ages ago and I'm sorry it took so long, but I hope it's okay and... Merry Christmas, Jules!
> 
>  
> 
> If you're German or you come from another country that does Julklapp, the title may be misleading. It's intended as a pun and nothing else. No actual gifts are being exchanged in this story.

The night was cold, winter settled in the air. The scarf wrapped snugly around his neck and covering half of his face did little to protect him from the icy November wind as he hurried to get home. The bundle inside his coat was still warm, protected by the thick leather and one of his arms, as he struggled to navigate his bike with the other one.

A cold gust nearly knocked him into a rooftop, but he swerved out of the way just in time.

“Soon, dear. We’re almost home now. You’ll love it there, it’s nice and cosy and the company is great”, he whispered reassuringly at the whimper that escaped his precious passenger. “Shhh, almost there, love. You’re so brave, little one, just one more minute and we’re home.”

In the distance he could make out a small cottage. A little secluded from the other houses of Lynton, it lay behind a hill, and in the darkness he may not have seen it at all had he not known where to look. As he got closer he could see the chimney breathe out sparks like he imagined a sleeping dragon might do. He had yet to show Remus, but for now his priorities lay elsewhere.

The bike slowly descended and landed on the makeshift road with a thud, the engine rumbling before it came to a halt.

Careful not to move too hastily and agitate the pup any more he got off his bike, casting a quick spell so it wouldn’t fall victim to the unforgiving frost the season had brought.

Once inside he toed off his boots (Remus would personally see to his untimely passing if he left stains on the rug his mother had hand-woven so many years ago) and pulled the zipper of his coat, revealing first a tiny fuzzy head and then the rest of a puppy that was glad to be safe from the forces of nature. He gingerly grabbed her and lifted her out of the blanket nest she had been in underneath his jacket and set her down on the floor so she could investigate her new home. Sirius shrugged off his coat and put the scarf inside the sleeve as she snuffled the slippers that lay stacked on top of each other by the umbrella stand. To this day neither Remus nor Sirius knew where that thing had come from, but since it showed no signs of dark magic and the pattern that was carved into the wooden surface was unostentatious they had decided to keep it.

“Moony? I’m home!“, he whisper-shouted so as not to startle the pup, and then, much quieter, barely audible even to his own ears, “And I brought a surprise guest.“

There was the rustle of a newspaper coming from the living room and then Remus was in the hall, smiling and pulling Sirius towards him by his shirt, giving him a peck, and then another, and then one more, before pulling away just far enough that he could see his face in the dim light coming from the living room. “I’m glad you’re back. I need your help. I wanted to surprise you and decided to make cookies...”, he looked at Sirius hesitantly, “...but I left them in the oven too long and I... well, they were as black as your mother’s soul by the time I took them out. And I need your help fixing the kitchen. I cleaned the dishes and put the fire out, but the oven is still kind of black inside and out, so...” He ruffled his hair awkwardly, breaking eye contact with Sirius for a second.

“Remus, how often do I have to tell you this? My mother does not have a soul.”

That got him a small smile and another peck, which he would have been happy to turn into something more, but-

“Speaking of, I have a surprise f-“

Remus’ gaze was caught by something behind him and his eyes widened a little, then narrowed, then turned back to Sirius.

He had maybe three seconds before he wouldn’t be able to convince Remus anymore that making him sleep on the couch was not a good idea. He needed to act quick. He grabbed Remus’ hands, interlacing their fingers, and put on the brightest “I love you, please don’t kill me” smile he could muster.

“Surprise!”

The glare Remus directed at him did not bode well for him.

“Sirius, what in the name of-“

“I can explain.” A lie, and they both knew it.

If looks could kill he would have evaporated five seconds ago. Goodbye, bed. Hello, couch. “Well explain, then.”

Sirius gulped. He took a deep breath, opened his mouth, then closed it again. He heard a thumping noise and realised he was tapping the rug with his foot.

“She needed me.” Remus remained still, the only sign he hadn’t turned into stone the steady rise and fall of his chest underneath his jumper and the marginal tilt of his head signalling for Sirius to continue.

“She, uh...”, he took a step away from Remus, unlacing their hands in the process, looked for their guest and, once he found her, picked her up to cradle her against his chest. She snuggled into him, unaware of the tension between the two men, and yawned. “Well, I found her. In London. There was this box on the sidewalk and... well, you know me, I get curious, I look inside the box and -“ he brushed his hand through his hair, looking down at the fuzzy pup -“and she’s in there, looking up at me with her beautiful little eyes, shivering and scared as anything, the poor thing.” As if to agree she whined, trying to bury herself a little deeper in Sirius’ shirt.

When Sirius looked at Remus again, his expression albeit still angry wasn’t quite as stony anymore.

“I couldn’t leave her there, Remus. I just... Anyway, so I took her to the vet and they said she’s fine, just needs a bit of pampering. And -“, he inhaled deeply, finally slowing down in his rambling. One hand still holding the puppy, he stroked her, not entirely sure if it was to soothe her or himself. “I asked the vet if they knew anyone who would take her in and they said she had a good chance of getting adopted, because she’s still young and cute and Christmas is just around the corner. But then she gave me that look, you know that look, and I just, I couldn’t leave her there. I mean, what if some asshole family got her for like Christmas or something and then dumped her again, because they can’t handle the responsibility of actually properly taking care of her? I couldn’t let that happen to her.”

At that last sentence, Remus shook his head, his frown the only thing that saved him from the small proud smile pulling at the edge of his mouth. Of course he couldn’t. He could never commit such a crime. As much as he did not need another pup in his life, Remus couldn’t deny that she was adorable, but there were still a few things they needed to talk about.

“And who will take care of her?”

“I will. Oh, don’t give me that look, just because I let one cactus die, when we were thirteen - thirteen, Remus! That was a lifetime ago - doesn’t mean I can’t take care of her.” Ignoring the unconvinced look Remus gave him, he continued, now rocking the pup in his arms a little, like he would a baby, “Plus, we have enough space and she’s so sweet, I promise she won’t cause any trouble. I mean, look at her little face and the fluff and the paws! Does she look like someone who will cause mischief to you?” Sirius looked at him with the biggest puppy dog eyes, that seemed to promise Remus the world and beg for the same thing in return. As if on cue, the puppy joined in and – although fighting valiantly - Remus had no choice but to yield to the power of their combined cuteness.

“Fine, I guess we can manage -“

Sirius didn’t even give him the time to finish his sentence, giving him a smooch on the cheek, very careful not to squish the puppy between their bodies. He was beaming with joy. “Thank you! You’re the best.”

“Yeah, yeah, the best my arse. Just because you got your way.” But the words didn’t have any sting to them, when Remus had already lost his fight against the smile now spread over his face.

“Do we have a name for her yet?”

“If you want to, you can name her.”

“Don’t think such obvious bribery will get you back in my good books. But... ,“ Remus put his index finger to his chin pretending to think about it, “…how about Padfoot #2?”

The look Sirius gave him was downright scandalized. “Okay, I hereby officially revoke your right to name her. She’s a good girl. She needs a good girl name.”

“Oh, come on, I was only kidding.”

He was met with silence, as Sirius was struggling to uphold a pout, but Remus could be just as ruthlessly cute to get his way. Giving his best impression of puppy dog eyes, he slowly wrapped his arms around Sirius, snuggling into him. “Pads, darling, honey, sweet pea-“

“That won’t work on me!”, Sirius said, but couldn’t help but smile and lean into him.

Remus hummed, an amused glint in his eyes. “Of course not. So... how about Zennah?”

“Mhm, I like that.” He pressed a kiss to Remus' collar bone, then yawned, causing Zennah to yawn, too. "Is it late enough yet that I don't have to lie to James about going to bed like an old person?"

"Sirius, you are the oldest one of the group."

"You know what I mean. He'll never let me live it down."

"Oh, neither will I."

"Hey!" Sirius swatted him lightly, too sleepy and cuddly to risk pushing Remus away too far.

"Come on, let's put her to bed and then we can cuddle on the couch, what do you say?"

"'kay", he yawned again. Reluctantly he pulled away from Remus, carrying Zennah to the bedroom with him, Remus following them. "On second thought... can we do the cuddling here instead?" 

Before he had time to answer, Sirius had pulled back the sheets, building a small nest in the middle of their bed in which he placed Zennah. She nuzzled and licked his hand happily for a moment before she rolled onto her back and closed her eyes in bliss.

"Are you coming or what?", Sirius asked, patting the mattress behind him, a happy smile on his face. "I need my big spoon."

"On my way."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Just... I hope you didn’t hate it. Please be kind.


End file.
